‘North Korea in view from Starbucks?’ Over 120,000 visit DMZ-adjacent cafe in 7 months

A Starbucks location in Korea that offers a rare view into North Korea has attracted more than 120,000 visitors in just seven months since opening, drawing both domestic and foreign tourists. The Gimpo Aegibong Ecopark branch, which opened Nov. 29 last year, sits atop the Aegibong Peace Ecopark observatory in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province. According to Starbucks Korea on Sunday, the store has welcomed over 123,000 visitors to date — an average of more than 600 per day. Weekend traffic more than doubles that figure, reaching around 1,000 visitors. The store is gaining attention for being the only Starbucks in the world where customers can sip coffee while gazing directly at North Korean territory. From the cafe’s panoramic windows, visitors can see across the Imjin River into Gaepung County, North Hwanghae Province, approximately 1.4 kilometers away. Located within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), access to the ecological park is restricted. Visitors must either make an online reservation for a specific time slot or purchase tickets at the on-site booth before passing through a security checkpWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times